Chapter 173 The Devil's Ferocity
The spotlight lit up again, revealing a huge humanoid lizard that matched the pattern, just way bigger.
"Insectoid Beings?" William blurted out.
He gritted his teeth, thinking, 'Devil's Gamble really lives up to its name. Insectoid Beings already?'
These creatures were a nightmare in the apocalypse.
In his past life, William was killed by a Stalker, another type of Insectoid Being. People usually just called them 'damn bugs.'
These bugs had weird abilities, making them tough to defend against. Given the same level of evolution, folks would rather face a mutated zombie or monster than an Insectoid Being.
This humanoid lizard was no different. William would rather face the level-three Flame Lion than this annoying creature with sharp bone blades and corrosive spit.
"Another level three?" Jack asked, stunned.
He'd only fought level-two mutated beings before, and the memory of getting beaten still haunted him. Now, two level-three beings had shown up, making even carefree Jack nervous.
William pointed out, "Avoid its flames; getting hit is a pain. Watch out for the acid spit from this black Insectoid Being; it's super corrosive. Its whole body is covered in black bone blades that can extend anytime. Don't be fooled by its current look."
William quickly explained what to watch out for, hoping this would help everyone in the upcoming battle.
Just then, the last white square stopped spinning, and William's eyes lit up because the pattern on this square was the Screeching Cage!
William got excited; he hadn't expected to hit one of the one-in-nine chances of success!
In Devil's Gamble, a primary Exclusion spell was rare!
Gritting his teeth, William turned around and pulled something out of his space crystal. It was the Metal Osmium he had retrieved earlier. Even though he had cut off a small piece to mix into Cecil's metal shield, this piece was still heavy. With a flick of his hand, the Metal Osmium transformed into a Metal Osmium Person about the height of a normal human, crashing into the ground and blocking the level-three Insectoid Being.
"Durability 500, duration 8 minutes!"
William had used nearly two hundred points of mental energy to summon his most powerful primary Coagulation and Arousal spell creature to date.
But he wasn't done yet. He pointed to a raised spot on the ground nearby, where a giant stone was buried. With another two hundred points of mental energy, a Stone Giant emerged, roaring as it charged at the Flame Lion.
In a flash, he burned through four hundred points of mental energy. Normally, this would leave him drained, but this time he showed no signs of fatigue. He pointed again at the ground beside Cecil, and an Earth Giant rose, spreading its arms to shield everyone.
Six hundred points of mental energy gone in an instant.
Seal: Flame Blade!
William's most powerful attack skill descended from the sky, targeting the Insectoid Being.
Usually, spending this much mental energy would leave William exhausted and passed out. But today, after summoning three powerful creatures and using the energy-draining Radiant Seal Blade Master skill, he was still standing strong.
This was thanks to the Mind Parasite.
After some special treatment, the Mind Parasite had been turned into Mind Parasite powder. Besides over ten thousand Magic Crystals, this was William's biggest gain at Hope Base.
The best thing about Mind Parasite Powder was that it could boost mental energy.
Although the Mind Parasite that William had killed wasn't top-tier, it still gave him significant benefits.
In his past life, he knew that Mind Parasite Powder could increase mental energy, and the stronger the Mind Parasite, the greater the boost.
The issue of not having enough mental energy to support multiple professions and skills had always troubled William. So, when he encountered the Mind Parasite, he didn't hesitate.
After consuming the Mind Parasite Powder, he estimated his mental energy was now around one thousand points.
He also noticed other benefits he couldn't quite understand or explain yet.
After making his move, William didn't check the result. He knew his ultimate move couldn't instantly kill the Insectoid Being, which was clearly stronger than a typical level-three creature. Injuring it would be enough; the rest was up to his companions.
He quickly took out a level-two Magic Crystal and inserted it into the coin slot corresponding to the Screeching Cage pattern on the square.
This was called Fixed Roulette!
It meant that when the three squares on Devil's Gamble showed the same pattern as the first square, the player could use a Magic Crystal one level higher than the initial one to fix the pattern.
Moreover, the "Fixed" in Fixed Roulette not only referred to fixing the pattern but also meant that the spinner was fixed in front of the roulette until they won or the time ran out and the game resets.
The spotlight-like device's light flowed down, quickly enveloping William, and pinned him to the Devil's Gamble.
Now, William couldn't do anything but spin the roulette. If no one else fought for him, he'd be toast, taken out by the Flame Lion and Insectoid Beings.
This was the terrifying part of Devil's Gamble!
It could materialize the creatures from the patterns you spun and launch attacks. The more you spun, the more monsters appeared, usually one or two levels higher than the Magic Crystal used to start the roulette.
Imagine if you spun once and didn't get what you wanted on any of the squares and then three high-level monsters would appear instead. Miss twice, six would show up, and if you missed three times, four times, five times...
Unless you were super lucky, spinning the Devil's Gamble meant facing several, dozens, or even hundreds of high-level creatures. Just this alone justified calling it the Devil's Gamble.
Moreover, when you got a matching pattern, you naturally wouldn't let it keep spinning. Fixed Roulette was inevitable, and once you used it, the spinner was bound to the spot. If your team couldn't fend off the monsters, you were done for.
It was like gambling with your life. You bet on luck, your comrades' strength, their loyalty, and many other things. If anything went wrong or luck wasn't on your side, you'd be meeting the real devil in hell.
Additionally, Devil's Gamble was called the devil not just because it brought death but also because of its greed.
To win on Devil's Gamble, all four squares must show the same pattern, which meant the spinner might need to use Fixed Roulette twice.
The first Fixed Roulette required a Magic Crystal one level higher than the one used to start the roulette, and the second required a Magic Crystal two levels higher.
Having killed the Hundred-Handed Zombie, William had obtained a level-three Magic Crystal, allowing him to use Fixed Roulette twice! This was another reason William decided to spin the Devil's Gamble.
Considering the massive amount of level-one Magic Crystals spent, spinning the Devil's Gamble was not something an ordinary Evolving person could afford.
So in his previous life, Devil's Gamble had another nickname which was 'The Roulette of the Wealthy.'
Seeing William bound by the mysterious light, everyone's hearts sank. The roulette was indeed dangerous, not only summoning two level-three monsters but also trapping their strongest member, William.
At the same time, a question popped into everyone's mind: 'Why not have someone else, like one of David's assistants, spin the roulette to free up William, their strongest fighter?'
But they underestimated Devil's Gamble, as it also had requirements for the spinner. The gambler had to be one level higher than the starting Magic Crystal.
William used a level-one Magic Crystal to start the roulette, the lowest level Magic Crystal, meaning the spinner needed to be at least a two-star Evolving person.
In the team, only William met this requirement.
Devil's Gamble always revealed its sinister nature to the spinner!
The Flame Lion's fire had already sprayed onto Cecil's shield, the intense heat making those behind him extremely uncomfortable. The shield was metal, heating up quickly, and Cecil's hand holding the shield was smoking from the burn.
But Cecil didn't utter a word, holding the shield steady like a mountain. He kept an eye on the Insectoid Beings, which had been somewhat battered by the Seal: Flame Blade, to prevent it from taking advantage of the situation.
The Metal Osmium Giant, Stone Giant, and Earth Giant had already launched their attacks. Natalie, using the length of her whip, also tried to strike the target. The battle had become intense as soon as the Fixed Roulette was activated.
The white slot cover on Devil's Gamble automatically opened, and the Magic Crystal inside had disappeared. William quickly refilled it.
The roulette began spinning again amidst the fierce battle sounds. This time, only the two middle white squares were spinning, each one tugging at William's heart.
The second square slowly stopped, and William cursed under his breath because it showed another Insectoid Beings pattern.
However, unlike the lizard man, this was a Mantis Man. Fortunately, it was only level two, not significantly affecting the situation.
The third white square also stopped, and William slammed the console in frustration. The third pattern was a half-human, half-snake creature holding a silver trident.
Naga!
A level-three oceanic mutated being!
Under the spotlight, a 6.5-foot female Naga Warrior appeared, adorned with colorful crests and eerie yellow-brown vertical pupils!
Three level-three beings and one level-two being!
The team's faces turned pale.
They had heard William say today would be dangerous, but they hadn't expected it to be this dangerous!
One level-three being was already tough for the team to handle, and now there were three?!
Candice instinctively turned to look back, just in time to see William starting the third spin. The second square, about to stop, showed a vicious-looking Skeleton Warrior!
Candice opened her mouth but then turned away, deciding not to look anymore. She feared her mental fortitude would collapse in the face of these high-level monsters.
And now, the team's defenses were indeed on the verge of collapsing against these monsters.
